The Dying Moonlight
by Skye Darkwing
Summary: Rewrite: After the death of her mother, Serena Moon is on a journey to unlock the secrets of her family's past. Can Serena uncover the past before her predator realizes she is alive and right under his nose?
1. The Witch: A Mother's Death

THE DYING MOONLIGHT

**THE DYING MOONLIGHT**

**In a world of life and happiness, lies the truth of what has become of mankind. Scratch the surface and you will see a world of darkness, chaos, and death. Earth has been under attack by the creatures of the night, and doesn't even know about it. A war has been raging between the Day Watchers and the Midnight Keepers for centuries. The only chance for either to survive is if the heir to both circles comes together. What if the heirs had a secret past that no one knew about…**

**Serena Moon, the heir to the Day Watchers; a witch who knows nothing of her destiny...**

**Endymion, the heir to the Midnight Keepers; a vampire with a seductive reputation...**

_PART ONE: THE WITCH-Chapter One_

The Spot light was on her now. This was the last of the Winter Finals. If she won the competition, her mother would be so proud of her. The room was large and white, mirrors surrounding the walls. Up against those walls were benches completely filled with parents watching their children compete. Flashes of cameras went off every so often; a small sound of chatting was heard. The room went dark, and a bright spot light landed on a young thirteen year old girl. The small child had long golden streams of hair that was braided down her back tightly. Her skin color could be compared with that of the snow. Wide Sapphire eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky, as the girl held her head up. She wore an ivory silk material for her ballerina outfit with a gleaming silver tutu.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, our last contestant for today is Serena Moon. She has been in our class since she was three. Serena has won forty gold metals, five silver metals, and two bronze in the past ten years she has been with us. She has brought our company great pride. Please give her a round of applause."

The female announcer spoke out through a microphone and was recognized by several adults, as the dance instructor for their children's ballet classes. The audience clapped their hands briefly, nothing more, nothing less. These were sophisticated aristocrats, politicians, and any other rich family there were in the district. The applause lasted for a very short time, before the instructor spoke again.

"Miss Moon will be performing a very delicate move, which no one else has been able to make. Her music today will be played by the animated musical, Anastasia, _Once Upon a December._ Ladies and Gentlemen, give it up for Serena Moon."

Serena stood in a basic ballet position. She stood straight, with heels touching and toes sticking out to the side, making a straight line. Completely balanced and still, a great task for such a young teenager. Her arms reached out in front of her, creating an oval, her fingers merely touching and the elbows relaxed. The young girl's face was emotionless, as if someone had painted a mask on her. It was her eyes, however, that betrayed her. They held such passion and joy for dancing and when the music began, she was carried away. The blonde danced gracefully; with such agility that everyone in the audience was in complete awe. For such a young age, she had an extent amount of experience and training.

As she moved along, her eyes aimlessly searched for her mother, Irene. The single mother was Serena's greatest fan. When she danced, her mother had as much joy and love as she did. Irene would brag to all who came into her shop of how talented and beautiful her daughter had become. Serena loved her mother more than words could tell and she owed her for introducing ballet to her. Serena had been to all the musicals, all the plays, anything that appeared on stage, she had seen it. Dancers mesmerized Serena and she couldn't get enough of them. Upon searching, Serena concluded that she was no where to be found. _Gwen_, Serena thought to herself. Gwen was Irene's best friend; she would be there for her. Her mother must've been running late at the shop and would be here later. During mid-song, Serena saw neither of the two women and was heart broken. They hadn't come to watch her. The small teenager wanted to stop then and there to cry helplessly. In spite of the fact, she went on...

The small ballerina smoothly dance throughout the song and was at the end. She moved her body for the last position. The blonde twirled several times before coming to a stop on her tip toes. Very slowly and very cautiously, she slid her feet flat on the ground. One delicate foot in front of the other; parallel to each other, with only a step in between them. The heels of her feet were even with the other's toe. She held out an arm to her chest, elbow relaxed. The other arm raised to the ceiling, arched over her head. The blonde elegantly lowered her body, from the waist up, downward and swung it back up. Her other arm, coming up with her and arching on her other side as she stood straight again. The finger tips touching.

It was then, that a sharp pain gnawed at her insides. She winced and felt something grow within her and it felt horribly wrong. The pain passed and it left the feeling of emptiness and loneliness at the pit of everything. Serena tried to ignore it and go on, she was almost finished. The song was coming to an end and the blonde was in the process of her last moves. She began to twist her body and was going to twirl one last time on one tip toe, with the other leg in the air. As she began to turn, her feet twisted together and she lost balance. Before she could catch herself, Serena fell flat on the floor. The room filled with gasp and then loud chatting. Her right ankle began to twinge in pain and she let out a grunt. The instructor, rushed towards the middle of the dance floor and most of her classmates surrounded her. Serena rolled on her back and held her right leg, her knee pressed against her chest.

"My ankle!" She cried out "My ankle! It hurts!" She cried out again.

The medical crew arrived and had carried her into the student locker rooms. From there, they had checked it, examined it, and then bandaged it up. She hadn't done much damage to her ankle, merely twisted it. Within the hour she was able to walk again and when the announcements called out for awards, she couldn't bare hearing that she had received second place. So she grabbed her things and left.

Night had started to fall as Serena walked along the street of the chilly December day. Her mother's shop was around the corner from the dance studio. The distance between the two places was a mere fifteen minutes. She still wore her dancing outfit; only now with sneakers and a large grey overcoat. Her head bowed down and eyes cast to the sidewalk she was walking on. Her mother would be so disappointed in her and Serena knew that she couldn't take the look in her eyes. Yet, she continued on towards her mother's shop. The flashing of blue lights and sirens never caught her attention until she reached the corner. Serena glanced up in time to see that a black body bag was being hauled out of the shop. She began to make her way through the crowd, until Serena reached the yellow police tape that had stood in the way. The police laid the body on a stretcher, just outside the ambulance doors. The young girl stood there, frozen and captivated by the scene before her as she watched the police identify that the body was Irene Moon. They zipped up the rest of the black bag and lifted the body into the ambulance. Serena didn't know how to react to all this. She had just witnessed her mother's dead body being carried away. Only when the ambulance started to drive away, did she start to make a scene herself. The young dancer began to run after the vehicle that had her mother in it, with tears streaming down her rosy cheeks.

"MOMMA! MOMMA!" She scream out at the top of her lungs.

She was suddenly picked up and held into someone's arms. Serena kicked and screamed out to her mother as the ambulance faded in the distance. She heard the comforting words of a familiar voice and recognized it to be Gwen's voice. The woman cried along with Serena and tried to calm her down. The blonde's screams had lowered and finally into hushed whispered voices. She held onto Gwen, arms wrapped around each other's necks.

"Momma . . . don't leave me . . ." she whispered in a muffled sound, because her mouth was covered in Gwen's shoulder. With a few more sniffles and whimpers, Serena kept watching the street where the large vehicle had drove off to. That was all that Serena could remember on that dark and cold winter's day . . . that day she had wanted to be someone entirely different...


	2. The Witch: Moon Bunny and DunPo

**THE DYING MOONLIGHT**

_PART ONE: THE WITCH: Chapter Two_

The _Event_, Serena had dubbed it, had only taken place a matter of weeks ago. She stayed silent and to herself for the most part. Although she was torn on the inside and probably scarred for life, the teenager did not give off any hints. The last thing Serena wanted was for someone to pity her. Sad eyes, whispered gossip, and the simple shake of their heads made the girl's stomach turn. She hated to be pitied and would not stand for it. Even when she made a mistake in a dance routine, the blonde refused to accept anyone's hand. Being orphaned was not going to change her perspective on the emotion or any other emotion for that fact. She had not cried since the day her mother was carried away in that hideous black bag and it was that day, Serena vowed to never open up again. During the past could of weeks, she stayed in a trace-like state that allowed her to be anywhere but here. Today especially, Serena imagined being somewhere peaceful and calm instead of in the old apartment she once called her home. As of now, she watched as strange men come in and out carrying precious pieces of her previous life. The entire area was being cleared and with each piece of furniture that left, a part of the teenager went with it.

The blonde stood still in the middle of what used to be her living room as men passed her. The girl did not budge or respond to any form of conversation. In her arms, she held a large stuffed rabbit with soft, grey fur and bright blue eyes, like herself. The rabbit wore a baby pink bow around its neck and long, floppy, ears hang down to each side of its face. The blonde referred to her companion as "DunPo". The name was derived from Aurélie Dupont, the first ballet dancer the girl had ever seen and also her favorite. Of course, Serena was only a child when witnessing the woman on the stage and could not say her name correctly. At the time, "DunPo" worked just fine and ever since, the rabbit was referred to as so.

As for Serena, she wore a plain black dress, like her others she decided to wear since the funeral. Any other color would be rude and dishonorable. For a teenager, the girl had matured quite quickly. Her good behavior was mostly credited to many of her ballet instructors teaching her that dancing took a lot of discipline and concentration. The girl had to be fully aware of her surroundings and the type or presence she presented towards others. The rest of her habits or beliefs came from her mother, as the older of the two was more like a gypsy hippie than anything else. One of the number one lessons Serena learned early in life, was that when someone had passed on, black was to be worn for as long as they lamented. The teenager knew it would take a long while before ridding herself of grief for her mother.

Early in her life, Serena realized that there was no one else, but Irene and Serena. For many years, unknown to her, the Moon family had been decreasing in numbers. Each year another person had mysteriously disappeared or found dead. Thinking about it now, Serena apprehended that she was probably the last of her bloodline. The hard, cold, fact of reality kicked in and the thought frightened the blonde. She was all alone in the world now, an orphan who currently had no one to truly grasp onto and look up to. The feelings left, what felt like a block of ice, settle in her stomach. As the feeling sunk in deeper, her angelic, pale face, turned stone still and cool. Losing one person was enough for the girl, if this is how it would be every time someone she loved or cared about die, then she vowed to never allow anyone near her again. It was just too painful. Serena had to find a way to keep them at a distance. The act would be difficult at first because the girl was so used to being social. She found some sort of comfort and tranquility surrounded by people. Her previous strength was, at present, a weakness in her life she would have to dispose of. How would she distant people when it came so easily to befriend them?

Serena remembered old man Peterson on the other corner of her block. The elderly man owned an antique shop for quite some time. He was an eighty something year old man who had an egg-shaped bald head and growing waistline. The blonde recalled the time she had referred to him as Humpty Dumpty. Although unlike the fairy tale books, the man was cruel and too opinionated for his own good. No one rarely spoke to him or came around. The feared he was most likely to call the cops and have them arrested, than to welcome him into his shop. Time was apparently not merciful to him after his wife committed suicide a year ago. Serena compared herself to Peterson now and confirmed that she could relate to how he acted now. It was then that the girl decided it would be easier to cut people off if she was spiteful and heartless with not a care in the world.

At that moment, dull sapphire eyes averted towards the front door to the empty apartment as a woman walked in with a cell phone plastered to her ear. A sudden switch clicked inside of Serena's mind as the perfect opportunity walked up to her. If she was ever to practice her new-found personality trait, Gwen was the easiest target. For as long as Serena could remember, the curly red head had always been a part of the girl's life. Irene and Gwen were old high school buddies, as was told, who could not stay away from each other too long. Serena could not understand how her mother had befriended Gwen, as the two had completely different personalities. Irene had been calm, serene, and shy, where Gwen was loud, wild, and no stranger to anyone she walked up to. The blonde suddenly felt a pressure in her chest as the company of the older woman suffocated her personal bubble space. For no reason known, Serena simply could not shake the negative vibes coming from the woman. Finally acknowledging the existence of the thirteen year old girl, the red head separated the phone from her ear to smile weakly down at her. As she got closer, a hand reached up and lightly scratched the top of Serena's head. Narrowing her eyes, the blonde softly pushed the woman's hand away. The teenager ran both hands through her golden, wavy, locks that hung down around her.

_Gwen, pet me like I'm a dog again, and I will bite. _Her thoughts were dripping with a dead sarcasm tone. Don't get her wrong; Serena loved the woman as much as she would an aunt. The fact still remained, though. Anyone close to Serena would only cause her more pain. She would give the woman no compassion. As the woman clue the phone back to her ear and began walking into another room, Serena moved closer to the back wall of the living room. There, she leaned against the cold, white wall, nearest to the window. She observed the woman, then, without her knowing it and thought about all she knew of her guardian.

Gwen Markoe. The woman was a twenty-seven year old, successful vice president of Monarch Inc. Her family owned the oldest jewelry-making company in the United States. Their name was known just as much as Tiffany. The company designed, produced, and shipped all over the world and with every mass market. Monarch blood was very rich and very powerful. Even for just being a jewelry-making company, they held a great deal of influence in the country. Serena guessed it was because they were considered "old money". Gwen had become vice president when her grandfather passed away after she graduated college. It was his will that she took his place in the family business instead of her cousins. She was the first female to be put in the position and since then, has dedicated her life to jewelry. The red head was married once, Serena thought. However, whenever she took the VP position, the family made her divorce the low-life. Apparently the marriage did not look good for a person of her status and Gwen reluctantly agreed. The teenager guessed that she never forgave herself for it given that Gwen never remarried or had any children of her own. Boy was she in for an alternative lifestyle. Raising a child was certainly not part of the woman's agenda. A small grin twitched at the corner of her mouth, but faded just as soon as it had appeared.

Gwen stopped in a doorway as a few men tried to go out with one of Irene's dressers. She moved the cell phone away from her mouth and began to yell out about something. Serena ignored the scene as she turned her head slightly to look out the window and down at the street. A rush of people scurried along the sidewalks. The fast-pacing walkers were those in nice dress suits as they hurried to get to a certain destination on time. The other fractions of people were simply moving aimlessly to no where in particular. Serena envied the people below her. No one felt her loss and was too wrapped up in their personal lives to even consider the fact that only a matter of weeks, a girl had just lost her mother. Serena assumed they didn't even care and only stiffened her body. If they didn't care than she wouldn't either. The girl's eyes turned their cold gaze back to the chatter box of a woman pacing the empty space. Gwen was just like one of those people walking the streets right now.

Serena began to study the woman again, as there was nothing else to really do. Gwen was tall; she probably stood about 5'9, her legs skinny and long. She had red thick locks that she kept out of her face with a silver clip. The teenager imagined that without the clip, Gwen would probably have Scary Spice's hairstyle. Okay, maybe not that wild, but it was cutting it pretty close. Moving to her facial features, Serena noticed her eyes were a chocolate brown, making her freckles that lined up on cheeks and nose, come out and shown easily. For an odd reason, the woman wore heavy foundation to hide the freckles. The liquid make-up only went with the obviously fake orange tan she wore. She had long black lashes that shaped around her almond eyes that fell against beige eye shadow in the background. Serena definitely believed that her eyes were her best feature. However, it was the bronze-colored lip gloss that painted her plump lips that jump out at anyone who came face to face with the woman. Inwardly, Serena shook her head and wanted to scrub all the junk off of her face.

Gwen wore a completely white dress suit that clung nicely to her body. A silky, buttoned up, blouse was almost hidden with a thick dress jacket. Her slacks looked so tight that the blonde could not understand how the woman breathed. The shoes were the worst, Serena thought. They pinched at the toe and had neck-breaking heels which made her an inch or two taller. Large pearls graced her neck and ear lopes. The look, with the exception of the make up, worked to Gwen's advantage for another reason Serena could not place on the spot right now, but also knew that the hard core boss image just didn't fit her. After barking out more orders, the red head finally got off the phone and turned to Serena.

"Hey Moon Bunny, how you holdin' up?" Gwen questioned as she moved back over to where the teenager stood against the wall. The concern in her brown eyes took Serena by surprise.

_Wow. She is actually putting people first?_ Serena questioned and Gwen must have seen the awed expression the girl was giving off because the woman's face softened. As soon as Serena realized she had let her guard down, it quickly came back up and she rolled her eyes. The teenager held her stuff rabbit closer and turned her head so she did not meet Gwen's gaze.

"Don't call me that." The blonde said in a harsh tone.

It was the red head's turn to be taken aback and Serena could see the effect her words had on the woman before her. The teenager tightened her jaw line and refused to apologize. Gwen took another step forward not sure what to do in this situation. Her mouth opened for a moment, before closing again. She hesitated saying anything for some time and then tilted her head to the side slightly.

"I always call you by your nickname. You've never minded until now." Gwen said in a hurt voice.

True, Serena had never been called anything else but her childhood nickname. It was something which has always been with her since she was a baby. She once asked her mother why being called _Moon Bunny_ was so special. Her mother's simple reply was because of Serena's long blonde hair and the pigtail hairstyle that she never could resist wearing. It was the only answer she ever got out of her mother and left it at that. The only real time the girl knew she was in deep trouble was when her mother called out her full name. The blonde grew frustrated because certain brown eyes would not waver and she knew Gwen wanted an answer.

"Well until now, I never had a dead mother." Again Serena answered in her frosty tone. Without even having to look at the woman, the girl knew she hit a soft spot and grunted. Rolling her eyes, childishly, and obviously tired of talking, Serena turned to face the woman straight in the eye. "I will be okay, Gwen." Serena lied through her teeth. She had to put on a good appearance for the woman's sake. After that was all said and done, the blonde push pasted Gwen and headed outside.

When she saw Gwen next, Serena was sure that everything had been moved out of the apartment and everything was locked up tight. The red head stopped to stand beside the thirteen year old in silence. They stood at the edge of the sidewalk and looked around at everything, but each other.

"Listen, Bunny. I want to be honest." Gwen bent down on her knees in front of Serena. She had become eye to eye with her. "I know this is hard for you. It is for me, so I'm not going to even try to figure out how you feel..."Gwen trailed off trying to pick and choose her words carefully. Serena only stared down at her revealing no emotions.

_Come on, Gwen. Don't give up on me now...If you can bark out orders, tell people how to do their job, get people to buy expensive jewels they DON'T need, then surely you can take a gander on how I feel. Go on. Give it a try. I'll even give you a hint. It's being annoyed. Do you know that feeling? I'm sure you do. You have to hear yourself talk. You have to look in the mirror. What else would annoy someone so badly? _Serena's thoughts had whisked her away and she was completely ignoring Gwen's words. Serena shook herself mentally and caught the end of woman's sympathetic words.

"...I'm going to take care of you. I promise to never let anything happen. I swore to your mother." She said and by that time her cell had rang again. Gwen kissed the top of her head and then got up to answer. As soon as she had her back turned, Serena let a breath out. How was she going to be like this for five years? Hold her breath and pray she doesn't see through her disguise? Serena tried so hard to keep the mask clued to her true face just as much as Gwen had that damn cell phone to her ear. The teenager had not had the newly-created mask on for a day and already she wanted to rip it off and scream.

Before Serena could convince herself to go back on her vow, she moved her gaze to the large truck in front of the apartment building. They were moving all her mother's things to a storage facility on the out skirts of New York City. Serena laughed to herself. _What out skirts of New York City? The ocean? The hood?_ The blonde turned her head the other way as tears threatened to fall. The girl would not see any of it again for five years when she turned eighteen. By then, she would be released from Gwen's control and could inherit any and all items from her previous life. Though, Serena had a sinking feeling that she would never see her mother's things again.

"You ready, Bunny?" Gwen said in an almost excited voice and wide eyes, coming up behind the teenager. The blonde could easily see that the woman was putting on an act. Serena was too tired to respond with anymore harsh words. Exhausted from the charade she had put together earlier. For the rest of the day, the girl would just go along with whatever came along.

"Where are we going Gwen?" Serena asked in a curious tone, but underneath, she really didn't care.

"We're going to Illinois. Monarch's main headquarter is there and my family can help me raise you. You'll love it, Serena." She said happily.

Any happier and she would have qualified as a cheerleader. _Wait, didn't she say she was a cheerleader in high school? Damn, we are going to have to work on her personality along with a make over. _ Serena's mouth twitched, as if she would actually smile, then went to her normal frown. The musical to Calamity Jane came back to her suddenly along with that irritating song. _'The windy city is mighty purdy, but they ain't got what we got.' _Serena had to remind herself to burn that certain brain cell which saved the memory of the movie. The last thing she needed was a song like that in her head the whole time to Illinois.


End file.
